


One Fine Day

by rockinhamburger



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-04
Updated: 2011-07-04
Packaged: 2017-10-21 01:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockinhamburger/pseuds/rockinhamburger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt had said: "You may not have to come out, but you need to be educated."</p><p>The strange thing was that once Dave had begun to educate himself, it became sort of difficult *not* to come out. It was suddenly irresistible; the desire to try and live a life that would make who he was actually mean something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Fine Day

**Author's Note:**

> I genuinely never thought I'd be writing something from Dave Karofsky's POV. But here we are!
> 
> Title respectfully borrowed from the song of the same name by The Chiffons.

He confessed the worst of his crimes to Jon over one of their early dates, sometime during the first few weeks of coffee, movie theaters and Jon's love of monster trucks (which Dave began to harbor a vested interest in).

"You deserve to know what a piece of shit I used to be," Dave told him over dinner, heart pounding, hands clammy. "I've worked really hard to change myself, but you should know how bad I was back then."

So, quickly, and with no small amount of shaky tears in his voice, he confessed all of the horrible things he'd done to Kurt in high school. The ways he'd made Kurt's existence about him and his predatory taunting. What he'd done to Kurt in the locker room. But most importantly, he told Jon how he'd made Kurt _feel_.

He expected to be dumped, certainly not for his casual-almost-but-not-quite-boyfriend to say, "Well, if I wasn't absolutely positive you had a heart before, I am now. Thanks for telling me, Dave. God, it's fucking awful what the homophobia in this country has done to us in different ways; it makes us hate each other and ourselves, and I'm just glad you got away from that poison. I really am."

And frankly, in that moment Dave knew Jon was the man for him (and he was so glad he could actually think and say that now, without feeling like there was something fundamentally wrong with him). The man who could listen to Dave describe his horrible past and not hate him for it was a man Dave wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

But as they began to talk about making their relationship official and lifelong, roughly a year after that important dinner, Dave found himself with some unfinished business to attend to.

"D'you get it?" he asked Jon. "I just--don't wanna do this with any bad karma hanging over me."

"I get it," Jon said, throwing an arm around Dave and tugging him closer from their place in front of the simmering stew on the stove. Dave looked at his fiance's handsome, tanned face and wondered if it was possible to love someone too much.

And so, with Jon's blessing, Dave made a call to Azimio.

When Dave first came out, Azimio behaved exactly how Dave feared he would, but after a few weeks of flat-out ignoring Dave, Azimio came 'round to his house, eyes on the floor of the front porch and said, "Look, I don't like it. I don't get it. But you're my boy, so I'm gonna try."

He was still trying, in many ways, and for that Dave would always be grateful. Unsurprisingly, Kurt was right. He was right about so many things, really, but he'd never been more right when he'd said that people had a tendency to surprise you with their capacity for love, even in the face of their occasional discomfort and uncertainty.

Well, at the time, Dave had called it _fruity kumbyayah-ing_ , which Kurt had merely raised an eyebrow at, but in the end Kurt was right. The people in Dave's life, the important ones, didn't really give a shit if he liked men. They loved him anyway.

Incidentally, Kurt was the reason he was calling Azimio on a Thursday night, six months before his marriage and two months before his 25th birthday.

"K, my man, it is good to hear from you," he said when he picked up. "How's it goin'? How's your dude?"

"I'm good, man! Jon's great. You?"

Azimio filled him in on the new girl in his life, and his new job, and Dave listened for a while, working up to his question.

"Hey, 'Zim, d'you still have Finn Hudson's info?"

"Finn Hudson? Dude, what do you want with him?"

Dave chewed the inside of his cheek and went for it. "Me and Jon're getting married next year."

"What! Dave, you little bitch, why didn't you say something?" Azimio shouted. "Congrats!"

Dave's heart felt light. It was the only way to describe it. "Thanks, buddy. And you're invited, if you want to be there." Azimio said he would fucking be there, and a moment later, Dave prompted, "So, Finn Hudson. You got his number by any chance?"

"Nah, man, I don't. But, hey, you know who might? That Schuester guy."

Azimio often pretended otherwise, but Dave liked to remind him that he was a fuckin' genius whenever the situation called for it.

-

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Mr Schuester?"

A pause. "Yes. Who's this?"

Dave began to pace the living room. "Uh, this is... Dave. Karofsky?"

"Dave! How are you?"

Dave swallowed the sudden lump in his throat; Mr Schuester had always been kind to him, back when Dave really didn't deserve it.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Excellent, I'm wonderful," Mr Schuester said, and it sounded truthful which was good to hear. "Uh, so, not that I'm not glad to hear from you, but what are you calling about?"

Dave cleared his throat, still tearing a hole in the floorboards. "Uh, well, actually I'm trying to find Kurt Hummel's phone number." The sudden silence on the line made Dave babble an explanation, "I was looking for Finn to try and find Kurt's number, but then I realized _you_ might have it. Which would be better than trying to get Finn to give me it; he's kinda nosy."

"Well," said Mr Schuester softly, "At the risk of being considered nosy myself, why do you want Kurt's number?"

Dave stopped pacing, standing motionless in the center of the living room. "I need to tell him I'm sorry and mean it. I--I meant it in my own way back then, but now I--well, I get it, and I don't want any of that hanging over me."

Mr Schuester gave him Kurt's number, but asked Dave not to say who'd given it to him.

-

Strangely, Dave didn't even _think_ about the possibility of Kurt living with someone, and that fact was proof enough that Dave had moved on from his creepy-ass obsession with the guy. And frankly, it was not at all surprising that Kurt and Blaine were still together. Even back then, Blaine Anderson had clearly known exactly how special and amazing Kurt was, and apparently he'd wisely never let him go.

"Hello?" Blaine said.

Dave remembered Blaine's voice well. He'd transferred to McKinley during Dave's senior year and then tried out for the football team. Dave had been one of the guys mocking him for his height, but Blaine was at every practice so Dave therefore spent a ton of time avoiding Blaine's hard glares and distrustful looks and listening in to his conversations with Finn and Puck.

"Uh, hi," said Dave, trying to keep his voice steady. "Is... Kurt there?"

Blaine didn't seem to recognize his voice. "Yep! Just a sec." Then, muffled: " _Kurt, telephone!_ "

Silence, and after a heavy pause where Dave agonized over what he needed to say, he heard Kurt's soft voice: _"Who is it?_ " and Blaine's response, _"I don't know, I didn't ask."_ , and Kurt's exasperated reply of, _"Oh, Blaine."_

Dave grinned. It was nice to discover that Kurt and Blaine were still going strong. It was nice to discover that committed love existed in the world, and that Dave wasn't totally crazy to want this life, in general and with Jon, more than anything else.

"Hello?"

"Kurt?"

"Hi! Who's this?"

Huh. Something about Dave must have changed significantly if Mr Schue, Blaine, and now Kurt didn't recognize his voice anymore. It was oddly comforting.

"This is Dave."

More silence, then, "Dave? ... Dave _Karofsky_ Dave? Wow. Well! How are you, Dave?"

"I'm good," Dave chuckled. "How are you?"

"Also good," said Kurt crisply. He paused again, then said: "I saw Bette Midler walking around Times Square today; it was so random and--oh, hang on, Better Midler's--"

"Oh, come on, Kurt. Wind Beneath My Wings? Give a guy some credit, okay? I know who Bette Midler is."

Kurt laughed hard. "Excellent! You're moving up in the world," he joked, in that effortless, still sort of daunting manner.

Dave took up his pacing again. "Well, that's actually kind of why I'm calling. I got your number, and... I just wanted to--I mean, I know this was all years ago now and you probably don't ever think about it, what with your glamorous, Bette Midler-filled life," Kurt laughed again, softly, and Dave continued: "But I just... I want to say sorry for my stupid--for what an asshole I was when we were in school together. There's no excuse. There's nothing I can say to take it back or make it okay, but I'm really sorry and I'm really glad you're good."

Kurt didn't say anything for a long moment, and then he said, "I know. And I forgive you. I really do, Dave."

Dave thought of a hallway, a really ugly hat, and a tearful breakdown followed by very similar words. He sucked in a harsh breath and pinched his thigh to keep from tearing up. "Thank you," he said softly. He felt exonerated of his past, in a way. It was like Kurt was saying, 'Go. Live your life. That was a lifetime ago; we have new lives now, so let's move on.'

It was astonishingly good for Dave's soul.

"Can I ask why you're calling on a Thursday night in October to tell me that?" Kurt inquired softly.

Dave swallowed. "I'm getting married. And I didn't want any regrets going into it."

"Wait, back up. You're getting _married_?" Kurt repeated, voice high like it used to get in high school. "To--to a guy, right?"

"Yes," laughed Dave, a huge grin on his face.

"Congratulations! Really. I'm..." Kurt let out a breath, "I'm so, so happy for you, Dave!"

And the thing was, Dave could tell Kurt really _was_ happy for him. "Thanks," he said, somewhat awkwardly. He still sometimes had trouble with heartfelt moments like this, so he cleared his throat. "I'm--I'm happy you and Blaine are still together."

Kurt sighed, and Dave imagined his eyes were sweeping over Blaine wherever he was; sprawled on the couch watching television, or cooking dinner. Dave imagined their life together, and he wasn't jealous; of Blaine, of both of them for having what he'd once thought he could never have, not in a million years. He wasn't resentful or bitter, he was just _utterly happy_.

"Thank you," said Kurt brightly. "We're happy about that, too. Dave, marriage is... it's so good. It's incredible. I wish you luck in yours." Dave hummed his thanks as he felt a pang of longing spark through him. Then Kurt asked brusquely, "So, this man of yours. Does he deserve you?"

"No. He deserves someone much better," said Dave, smiling.

"Sounds exactly right," Kurt said, with real warmth. "Trust me, though. You may not feel it all the time, but I think you so deserve each other, especially if you've come this far. And you've always deserved to be loved, you know. And to be happy. So I'm just... I'm so glad you know that."

Dave rolled his eyes at himself when he felt tears forming. "Yeah, me too," he muttered.

"Thank you for calling, Dave. I really hope your wedding is lovely." Kurt paused, then added, in a hasty sort of way, "I assume you're getting married in Ohio, so just make sure you pick the right wedding planner, okay, and whatever you do, _do not_ order your flower arrangements, if you decide to have them at your wedding, which you _must_ \--just promise you won't order them from Jameson Weddings. Those non-flowers were fucking wilted beyond belief when they arrived, and we had to scramble. So, not Jameson, okay?"

Dave laughed and nodded even though Kurt couldn't see him. "Will do."

When Kurt spoke next, he sounded tentative but firm. "And if you need any advice on weddings, or anything else, or you just want to talk, you can always pick up the phone and call, all right?"

"Thank you," said Dave thickly, eyes closed on a swell of complicated emotion. "Thanks, Kurt. Tell Blaine, if you think he wouldn't hate it, that I say hi. And sorry."

Kurt assured him he would, wished him well and said goodbye.

As he hung up, Dave thought of a hallway, a stolen wedding cake topper, and Kurt's terrified expression, but he no longer felt shame over it.

Kurt had forgiven him.

And Jon loved him. Azimio was still his best friend, Dave's parents were supportive and loving in the best kind of way, and he had a job he didn't hate and an apartment with nice furniture that he shared with a boyfriend who loved him.

There was only a bright, limitless future on the road ahead of him, with a potential for the kind of joy that Kurt had always talked about; the kind of joy that Dave was finally, truly allowing himself to experience.

Where was the shame in that?


End file.
